The present invention relates to a hay bale basket and, more particularly, to a mobile basket for receiving bales of hay in the field from a hay baler, transporting the bales from the field to a desired storage location, and discharging the bales at that location.
Hay bale baskets of a general nature in one form or another have been utilized in agriculture for decades for the aforementioned purposes. Such hay bale baskets have been either filled directly from a hay baler as the bales are formed in the field, or they are drawn through the field in conjunction with a mechanism which picks up and throws bales into the basket which have already been formed and have been left deposited in the field. When the basket has been filled, it is drawn by a tractor or other vehicle from the field to the location at which the bales are to be deposited, and there the bales are dumped from the basket.
The prior hay bale baskets suffer from a number of disadvantages. Where the basket has been employed with a bale thrower which picks the already formed bales from the field to throw them into the basket, impact forces on the basket have resulted in bending or damage to the basket. Moreover, the bale throwers themselves constitute an additional piece of equipment which poses an added expense to the bale collection process, and which is prone to mechanical problems.
The hay bale basket of the present invention is preferably coupled directly to the baler which forms the bales in the field, and receives the bales immediately as they are formed, and the bales are collected in the basket without throwing. Thus, the bale basket of the present invention obviates the need for the separate thrower equipment with its attendant disadvantages, and also the additional steps of first depositing the bale in the field and then retraversing the field later in a separate step to pick up the formed bales for transport to their storage location.
Hay bale baskets of this nature, i.e. which are adapted to receive bales directly from a hay baler, have also been known in the agricultural industry for decades. However, most if not all of these prior hay bale baskets--either those of the type used in association with bale throwers or used directly with the hay baler--also suffer several additional disadvantages. One such disadvantage is that because their walls generally take the form of an open basket or cage-like structure, bales frequently become lodged in the wall openings and/or wedged against each other, thereby impairing both the easy and complete filling of the bale basket, or the rapid, complete and organized unloading of the basket at the location at which the bales are to be ultimately deposited. The present invention overcomes those problems simply and efficiently.
Another disadvantage of the prior hay bale baskets is that the baskets have not generally been susceptible to assembly by the manufacturer because the assembled baskets are difficult to ship in quantity due to their bulky size. Accordingly, they are usually shipped as a large number of individual parts and initial assembly usually takes place at the site of the dealer or ultimate user. That assembly frequently requires up to two man days for each basket. Unlike these prior hay bale baskets, the major components of the hay bale basket of the present invention may be preassembled at a manufacturing facility where appropriate personnel, equipment and tools are available, and these large preassembled subassemblies may be easily stacked for shipment in quantities to the final assembly location and assembly may be completed there by as few as two men in about 30 minutes.
Also in the present invention, a latching assembly is provided for the rear wall of the hay bale basket which permits it to be remotely actuated to swing open by gravity to dump the bales from the basket, and may be relatched shut simply by movement of the bale basket. Thereby, discharge of the bales is readily facilitated and possible injury to personnel is minimized because personnel do not have to be positioned adjacent the rear wall or its discharge at any time.
In one principal aspect of the present invention, a mobile basket for accumulating and transporting hay bales comprises an axle supported on wheels and a container mounted upon and supported by the axle for the transport of the container. The container has a front and a rear, and a pair of side walls which are spaced from each other to define the container. The side walls have a cage-like structure with openings of substantial size therethrough. A bottom wall on the container slopes upwardly from adjacent the axle toward the front of the container, and a rear wall is on the rear of the container. Hinge means hinges the rear wall adjacent its top to the container and such that the rear wall swings between a shut position to retain the bales in the container and an open position by gravity to discharge the bales from the container. The spacing of the cage-like side walls is greater at the rear of the container than at the front thereof.
In another principal aspect of the present invention, an elongate chute is mounted to the front of the container and slopes downwardly and forwardly therefrom. The chute has an inlet end positioned to receive bales from a hay baler and a discharge end positioned to discharge the bales in the chute to the container.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the container has a front wall at its front and adjacent its top and the aforementioned chute is mounted to the front wall.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the aforementioned chute has a latch adjacent its inlet end to retain bales in the chute.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, a castor wheel is positioned adjacent the front of the container.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, latch means is positioned adjacent the aforementioned rear wall, and latch operating means unlatches the latch means from a location remote from the latch means to permit the rear wall to swing from its shut position to its open position.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, at least a portion of the rear wall is inclined relative to the vertical when the rear wall is in its shut position, whereby the rear wall will swing to its open position by gravity about its hinge means.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the aforementioned inclined rear wall will also swing to its shut position and be latched therein by the latch means by movement of the mobile basket.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the aforementioned side walls comprise a plurality of spaced parallel tubular members sloping upwardly from the rear wall toward the front of the container, the spacing between the tubular members defining the aforementioned openings of substantial size.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the aforementioned bottom wall also has a cage-like structure with openings of substantial size therethrough.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.